


The Renegades: Deleted Scenes

by this_is_how_we_get_ants



Series: The Renegades [2]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Deleted Scenes, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:16:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5420201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_is_how_we_get_ants/pseuds/this_is_how_we_get_ants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of some of the deleted scenes from The Renegades... :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not going to be tagging this for every individual chapter, just a heads up! There will be strong language, I'm sure, and some violence.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve/Bucky scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my favorite of the scenes that didn't make it into The Renegades, Steve and Bucky's first kiss! Hope you enjoy the romance, cuz I know those two boys didn't have much in the way of romantic moments in the story... Oops.  
>  Anyway, there is more to come. I'm currently working on multiple things (including The Renegades sequel), so I'll try to periodically post to this. :)

“Hey, punk,” Bucky bumped Steve’s shoulder.

Steve tried to disguise the pain that Bucky’s simple shoulder bump had caused. He smiled tightly at his best friend. Bucky wore his usual careless smile as he watched Steve. Once again Steve took note of the fact that Bucky had no backpack. Honestly, Steve wasn’t sure how Bucky passed any of his classes. It wouldn’t matter much longer, though. In just a few months they would be graduating and leaving their high school days behind them.

“What’s up?” Bucky stopped walking and squinted suspiciously at Steve.

“Nothing, Buck. C’mon we’re gonna be late,” Steve didn’t slow his pace.

He felt a hand drop on his shoulder, “Wow. You been working out, Stevie?” Bucky gave his bicep a light squeeze.

Steve flushed and shrugged out from under Bucky’s grip. He really didn’t want to have this conversation now. He’d managed to hide under oversized shirts that were increasingly less oversized for months. Leave it to Bucky to notice now.

“What?” Steve said absently, pretending he hadn’t heard Bucky perfectly.

“Dude, what the fuck?” the tone in Bucky’s voice let Steve know his friend was serious.

He sighed deeply and turned to face Bucky’s slightly angry look. Steve wanted to be anywhere else. But he forced himself to meet Bucky’s gray eyes, and the familiar pain in his chest squeezed roughly. Steve’s eyes darted down to his shoes which he scuffed against the sidewalk in ostensible fascination. Whenever he looked Bucky in the eye he felt like his friend could see everything, that all of his secrets were written plainly across his face.

“Uh, it’s nothing, really,” Steve stalled.

Bucky was silent as he waited for Steve to explain himself.

Steve blew out a gust of breath and rushed through the words, “ _Ienlistedinthearmy_.”

It was silent again, and Steve was almost afraid to look up. Secretly he wished they could just gloss over the confession. He didn’t want it to matter, but he knew that was a ridiculous wish. Deep down, he just wasn’t ready to face the fact that everything was going to change in a few short months. No more Steve and Bucky against the world. He had just wanted these last few months before he left New York and the best friend that he was secretly in love with.

“You did what,” Bucky’s words formed a question, but it sounded like a statement.

Steve’s eyes betrayed him and shot up to Bucky’s shuttered gaze. He wasn’t sure what Bucky was feeling. The guy could be seriously opaque when he wanted to, and this appeared to be one of those instances. Steve swallowed nervously trying to quell the burst of nervous confetti guns that had just exploded in his stomach.

“I joined the army,” he whispered again.

After a moment of just staring Bucky finally spoke, “Dammit, Stevie. You fuckin’ punk! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I dunno,” Steve shrugged awkwardly.

That was the last they said about it until three days later when Bucky slapped down his registration form on the lunch table. Steve almost choked on his macaroni as he stared down at the official-looking document. He struggled to comprehend the words on the page in front of him.

“Well? You gonna say anything?” Bucky dropped down on the bench across the table from Steve.

Steve struggled to swallow his food and opened his mouth to speak. He realized he had no idea what to say, though. So instead he just sat stupidly staring at the paper until the words started to blur together. Suddenly he couldn’t sit there anymore. It felt like someone had put his hand against a fork in an electrical socket. He was jittery and upset and confused.

“Hey! Where ya goin’? Steve!” Bucky called after him, but Steve just rushed out of the crowded lunchroom as quickly as he could.

By some miracle Steve managed to avoid Bucky for the remainder of the day and the entire weekend. But when Monday rolled around, he knew it was unlikely he would manage to avoid Bucky for the entire day. Even if he did somehow dodge his best friend for the day, there was no way it could last all week. Still, he desperately wished it would.

He went through the day on pins and needles, but he didn’t see Bucky. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He did see Bucky, but he basically ran in the opposite direction every time. For the first time in his life he skipped out on class, Economics, just so that he wouldn’t have to see Bucky.

It was easy enough for him to pretend to be sick and miss most of the rest of the week. His mother was worried about him, fussing around him like he was eight years old again. It was almost worse than going to school and running himself ragged avoiding Bucky. He knew he couldn’t avoid Bucky forever, but he was dreading the coming confrontation. There were things he’d been avoiding telling his friend; he was still struggling to acknowledge them himself.

Thursday afternoon Bucky appeared at his house. Steve almost pissed his pants, but he remembered that Bucky had his own key. He cursed himself for not getting the locks changed before he realized how utterly ridiculous that was.

Bucky stood in the doorway to Steve’s small room with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. It didn’t completely mask the hurt in his eyes, though. Steve instantly felt terrible. Nausea swelled in his stomach as he stared at the familiar figure in his doorway.

“I- Hey, Buck,” Steve stuttered wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his sweatpants.

“Save the shit, Steve. What the fuck is your problem?” Bucky replied.

Steve stared at the small hole in the right knee of his sweatpants, anything to avoid Bucky’s eyes. He felt the bed next to him sink as Bucky sat beside him.

“What’s wrong, Stevie?” his voice had softened considerably, the familiar nickname rolling off his tongue. “You mad at me or something?”

Steve tried to chuckle, but it was just a dry rasp. He felt his internal resolve failing. It was so hard to lie to Bucky, and he’d been holding this truth back for so long it was killing him. He was tired of it; it was literally exhausting him. Maybe it was time to just face the music; say what he had to say even if it meant losing Bucky forever.

“I love you,” Steve blurted out in a rush. Horror washed over him as he realized what he’d just said. He couldn’t quite believe it. His entire body was frozen, but he felt like he was on fire. Next to him Bucky wasn’t moving, and Steve was absolutely fucking terrified to look.

“ _Okaayyy_ ,” Bucky replied slowly. “I love you, too Stevie?”

Steve breathed out in frustration. Finally he worked up the courage to look at Bucky. His friend’s eyebrows were scrunched in confusion. Gray eyes searched his own gaze, and Steve felt the tears spill over and run down his cheeks. He was now thoroughly humiliated. At this point he wished Bucky would just slap him and call him a fag; it would be better if he just ripped the Band-Aid off.

His inhibitions suddenly MIA, Steve leaned forward. He could feel the slight stubble on Bucky’s jaw against his palm. And then he could feel his lips, warm, slightly chapped, and somehow familiar. But just as quickly he pulled away and dropped his head into his hands. Now he was fucking sobbing, and this couldn’t get much worse. Why did this have to happen to him? Why did he have to feel this way; it just wasn’t fucking _fair_! Hadn’t he struggled enough already without having to deal with _this_?

“Please, just go,” Steve rasped, his voice throbbing against his throat.

But Bucky didn’t move. His weight could still be felt on the mattress next to Steve. Steve thought that he might go insane. This was so much worse than he had imagined. He was so humiliated. Why couldn’t Bucky just fucking go away and leave him to his pathetic pity party?

“Goddamn it, Steve! Fuckin’ look at me, would ya?”

Steve slowly lifted his head from his hands and turned ever so slightly to his left. But he couldn’t look up. He honestly didn’t think his heart could handle the hatred he was sure he would find in Bucky’s eyes. That would really be too much.

He felt a rough, callused hand yanking his chin up. Surprised, Steve’s eyes widened and darted to Bucky’s. What he saw there was not what he had expected. There was fire in the grayness, but it wasn’t fueled by disgust as he had anticipated. It was something else entirely, and suddenly his throat was completely dry and he couldn’t feel his body.

Bucky stared at him for a minute before crashing into Steve. It was nothing like Steve’s bumbled kiss. This was real. This was everything Steve had ever dreamed it could be, and it was even better than that. Surely he was dreaming because this couldn’t be happening. Steve could never be so lucky.

“ _I love you, too_ ,” Bucky whispered roughly, his breath hot against Steve’s lips.

. . .


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's POV- This was going to be in the beginning, Steve and Bucky getting caught.

**LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY, NY**

That bitch had set them up! They should have known better; they hadn’t vetted her as thoroughly as usual. He felt his blood boiling in his veins as he ran along the rooftops. The Winter Soldier ran along in the shadows of the alleys below. They were in deep shit this time.

He could feel everything so sharply tonight. The air tasted bitter as it dried out his throat. His eyes watered slightly against the wind that blew his short hair and tugged at his clothing. The smells of this part of the city, neglect and abandonment, blew into his nose. All he could hear was the beat of his pulse, raging in his ears and the steady drum of his footfalls. Distantly, he was aware of the sounds of his pursuers in the sky.

That pompous idiot in the iron was suit gaining on him. He felt the heat of the latest repulsor blast on the heels of his boots. The smell of scorched rubber burned sharp and acrid in the air. But he didn’t stumble, didn’t stop his running.

Suddenly he noticed a dark shape coming at him from the opposite direction in the sky. He cursed under his breath; he thought he’d ditched the winged man a few blocks back. Apparently he had been wrong. Not pausing in his sprint, he fired at the man in front of him. A small smirk quirked his lips when he hit the guy’s wing. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to relish his slight victory, because he was suddenly blinded by a bright flash.

His mind screamed in protest at the sudden assault on his finely-tuned senses. He felt himself reeling at the blow. It felt like the light of a thousand flashbulbs had converged just in front of his face. The shock of it left his ears ringing and his entire body felt off-balance. For once, he regretted how fast he had been moving; this fall was gonna hurt like a bitch.

Before he hit the roof he knew he was done for. His knees and palms burned painfully upon impact. He couldn’t see shit, and he wasn’t gonna get away from this many of them. Not when they fought at this caliber, and especially not when he and the Winter Soldier were separated. Hopefully the Winter Soldier could still manage to get away, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that they were both SOL.

He heard both of the flying men land on the roof and the rapid footsteps of the sniper joining them. Even though he was pretty sure he had his eyes open, he could barely see the figures converging on him. All he could see were the kaleidoscope patterns of light morphing in front of his eyes.

“Well, well Captain, fancy meeting you here,” a snide voice commented.

He remained on his knees, silent.

From below he heard a bellow, presumably from that green monster. Quickly the sound of crunching metal followed, and he grimaced. A sinking feeling of dread pulled at his gut. This was end-game. Both of them were screwed. Well, at least they fell to the Avengers; he supposed that that at least sounded somewhat impressive. It had taken six of the world’s greatest heroes to take them down, so at least there was that.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is assembled, and meet with Hawkeye and Widow for the first time.

He still couldn’t fucking believe this was happening. It honestly seemed like it should be a joke, but yet here they were. The four prisoners were back in the conference room. Director Fury and Agent Coulson, that was the dentist guy’s actual name, were there with them.

Steve looked around at the other three prisoners who were now supposed to be his teammates. Bucky he could work with, obviously; they had been a team all their lives. The woman, Amora, was a wild card. She acted like a crazy person, but Steve got the feeling that it was mostly an act. There was shrewdness in her eyes that couldn’t be faked. Lastly, there was Asshole. Er, Loki. Obviously, this guy was a psychopath and also, quite possibly, a vampire. Steve had no fucking clue why SHIELD would agree to let this guy out on the streets. Overall, it seemed like this endeavor was destined to go up in flames.

Once again Loki and Amora were engaged in a fierce glaring competition. They seemed to be unable to do anything else in each other’s presences. It was getting pretty fucking annoying. After all, if SHIELD was dumb enough to let them out then Steve was damn sure going to get out. And he wasn’t going to let Loki and Amora’s blood feud stand in his way.

He still wasn’t totally clear what their deal was. But then again, he had only just met them a few days ago. They had been led straight here from their cells, and Steve was still unclear on what the game plan was. Currently they were just standing around in their cuffs and prison scrubs looking like the world’s lamest chain gang.

The door opened behind them and two black-clad agents marched in. Steve recognized one as the redhead who had led Bucky away on the first night. Bucky tensed next to him at the sight of the woman. A man walked next to her, but Steve didn’t recognize him.

All of a sudden, the man stopped short, “Aw hell no!”

Loki broke into a wolfish grin on Steve’s left. Apparently there was some history between these two.

“Oh come now, Agent Barton. Surely you do not harbor any ill will towards me still?” Loki smirked.

“I thought this asshole was dead!” Barton exclaimed.

Loki smirked; it was the closest Steve had seen him come to showing actual joy. Barton seemed about to say something else when he noticed Amora. A strange look passed over his face. Steve watched as Amora smiled wickedly at him and batted her striking green eyes.

“Hello, Agent Barton,” she purred.

It was hard to tell for sure, but Steve could have sworn that Agent Barton blushed.

“Oh for the love of Asgard,” Loki rolled his eyes.

Agent Barton seemed to snap back to himself and lunged forward. The redheaded woman next to him laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“Clint,” she murmured.

He stopped his advance towards Loki, but his every muscle and tendon seemed to be stretched taut. It gave him the appearance of an animal about to strike.

“Fury?” the redheaded woman looked at the director questioningly.

“You’re seriously using these guys? How is this possibly going to work?” Barton threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Well I am just guessing here, but I would say it has to do with whatever they implanted in our heads when we arrived in this place,” Loki replied, adopting his usual long-suffering tone.

Steve unconsciously went to rub the lump behind his ear, but unfortunately his cuffs reminded him that was not an option.

“ _Mother_ -” he bit down on his tongue.

“This is gonna be a fucking disaster,” Barton muttered.

A surge of anger rushed through Steve, but he clenched his fists and breathed deeply to avoid doing something potentially regrettable to Agent Barton.

“Oh look, you already have one dog on the leash,” Loki turned to Director Fury and suppressed a smile.

Steve glared at Loki when he turned back around. Loki simply smiled serenely at him.

Amora started laughing again, and everyone’s attention was diverted to her. She bit her lip, her eyes twinkling. Everyone seemed to be enthralled with her again. Well, at least Steve definitely was. Her charms seemed to have no effect on Loki, the redhead, or Director Fury. To his satisfaction, he did notice that Agent Coulson was shifting restlessly on his feet surreptitiously watching her.

“Would you give it a rest, Amora,” Loki bit out.

Immediately Amora’s demeanor changed. It was a subtle shift, but it changed the feeling of the entire room. Everything about her expression and body language screamed violence for a tense moment. She was still undoubtedly beautiful, but in a sharper way.

Just as quickly as it came, the storm passed away from her features and she smiled beatifically at Loki. Her teeth looked predatory and there was still a hint of the raw edges lingering in her gaze, though.

She rearranged her features into a pout, “That’s not how you used to talk to me, _lover_ ,” the last word dropped to the floor like pure acid.

She fluttered her eyes invitingly at Loki, but there was a feeling of danger to the action. Loki, for his part, looked absolutely disgusted.

A choked noise came from Agent Barton’s direction.

“I cannot possibly be expected to work with these people,” Loki complained.

Fury glared, “You can. And you will.”

“And if I say no?” Loki challenged.

“Then you can spend the rest of your worthless life rotting in your cell. From what I understand that’s going to be a long wait.”

Loki looked like he wanted to say something, but he clamped his mouth shut and glared at the room in general.

“Well this should be fun,” Steve said under his breath.


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early training session

_Prisoner 003 AKA Captain_

Training was brutal. It was obvious why they had been selected. Together they were nearly unstoppable. Or, at least they would be if they could work together. But so far that had not actually happened.

Amora refused to work with Loki. Anytime he got too close, she would use her magic to get him away. She had alternately used energy blasts, bound Loki’s hands together with magic, turned him into a frog, and repeatedly teleported him to another part of the room. It was actually pretty entertaining.

Meanwhile, Steve and Bucky engaged in combat against Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff. They were well-matched. Barton and Romanoff had obviously been working with each other for a long time. But Bucky and Steve had known each other their entire lives, and had fought together for a good portion of that time.

Watching the four of them spar was like watching a violent, but still beautiful, dance. Steve watched in his peripheral vision as Bucky caught one of Barton’s arrows in his metal hand and crumpled it like a used Kleenex. Barton jumped down from the beam he’d been positioned on and he and Bucky engaged each other hand-to-hand.

Meanwhile, Agent Romanoff was keeping Steve occupied. She was tricky, and he relished the concentration that it required for him to spar with her. He loved the feeling when the rest of the world faded to background noise. It was in moments like this when he became truly aware of how different things were now.

He could hear every scuffle of Romanoff’s feet on the floor. The whiz of another arrow cutting through the air tickled his ear. A metallic clang as Bucky easily deflected it with his metal arm. Steve could even hear the gears inside of Bucky’s arm working as he moved.

All of his senses felt so clear. It was like seeing the world in high definition after having spent your whole life with sub-par standard definition. Everything was sharp and defined. His own body felt like a tightly coiled machine. He was in complete control.

He blocked Romanoff’s blows strategically. Using his instincts, he could easily predict her next move. The inside of his head was full of observations: sweat was beginning to glisten on his sparring partner’s forehead, the air held the stagnant odor of being underground supplemented by a faint metallic scent, above them the lights buzzed with electricity, six heartbeats pulsed in the air. It was electrifying.

A scream cut through the sound of their breathing. Steve swiveled to see that Amora stood in a strange greenish gold fire and Loki’s jacket was smoking. Why were those two even alone?

“You insufferable wench!” Loki screamed.

Amora broke into a smile, the flames around her slowly fading.

Loki immediately lunged at her, but found himself faced with empty air. Amora appeared on one of the ceiling beams laughing hysterically.

Loki growled low in his throat and suddenly there were ten Lokis charging towards Amora’s perch. Her face changed and she gracefully leaped down to the floor. Completely ignoring most of the angry Lokis, she made her way straight to one. She grabbed his neck in one perfect hand, anger flashing in her bright eyes.

The copies blinked erratically for a few seconds before dissipating. Loki struggled in Amora’s grasp. Steve could see that she was whispering something, and he strained to make out the soft words.

“I will take you down, you filthy bastard,” she hissed.

The look on Loki’s face could only be described as murderous, and soon Amora was on the ground, with Loki’s long fingers wrapped around her neck. She stared defiantly at his blazing eyes. Steve watched as the glint that was quickly becoming familiar to him appeared in Amora’s eyes.

“Stop it!” Agent Barton moved towards the two sorcerers on the ground.

Loki lingered over Amora for a moment longer before a flash of green light left Amora lying alone on the ground. Agent Barton extended a hand to Amora, and she smiled sweetly at him.

“Jesus Christ!” Steve jumped as Loki appeared _right_ next to him.

Barton and Amora made their way over to the others where Agent Romanoff immediately proceeded to reactivate their cuffs. The magnetic force-field that connected the bracelets caused their wrists to snap together. A flash of green light from Loki and a flash of golden light from Amora signaled that their magic had once again been neutralized.

“I don’t see how Fury can possibly think this is gonna work,” Clint muttered crossing his arms over his chest.

Steve had taken the agents’ momentary distraction as an opportunity to scoot closer to Bucky. He was worried about his friend. Even though he’d been making the perfect movements during his sparring session with Barton, Steve could see that something wasn’t right. There were dark smudges under Bucky’s eyes and he was paler than normal. It seemed as if he was trying to avoid Steve’s gaze, and whenever their eyes did meet Steve would offer a smile that was met with a ghostly echo.

“Hey,” Steve nudged Bucky’s shoulder, “Are you OK?”

Bucky sighed, but before he could respond Barton was in front of them, “Playtime’s over for the day, boys.”

Steve desperately tried to catch Bucky’s eye again, but his friend resolutely stared at the ground. T

he magnetic force-field reactivated and Steve felt his wrists snap together. He could feel the electric current humming.

When Barton reactivated Bucky’s cuffs, Steve noticed that Bucky’s posture shifted. His metal arm hung lower, and Steve knew that it had been deactivated again. He swallowed against the anger that burned in his throat.


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate version of the first post-mission period/debrief.

_Captain_

Steve’s head was still spinning. After Amora had teleported them to the rendezvous coordinates SHIELD had provided, Steve had proceeded to throw up. A lot. He still felt vaguely nauseous now, hours later.

Things had gone downhill quickly after Amora had joined them on the roof. She had teleported them to a grimy alley somewhere outside of the city. Once there she had proceeded to shut down completely and wouldn’t talk to anyone.

Meanwhile, Loki was obviously drained. Besides being even paler than usual, he didn’t mock Steve at all when he had been vomiting up the entire contents of his stomach. Instead, he had just slumped down against the graffiti-coated brick wall to sit on the dirty ground. At some point he had finally passed out.

Their return to the prison had passed in a blur. Steve remembered little of it; his mind had been too preoccupied. Flashes of the events of the past twenty-four hours had hounded him relentlessly. He kept seeing disparate images: the red-faced catering boss, the haunting mask of his attacker, the final blow hurtling towards his head, Bucky’s eyes as he woke up, and the ethereal golden mist. It was all too much and his brain ached from it.

This morning he’d been brought into the training room. Coulson and Romanoff had been waiting there. He’d ignored them and slumped down against the wall, tipping his head back and resting his eyes. No one made him get up. In fact, no one said anything to him at all.

Awhile later Bucky had come in and sat down next to Steve. Their shoulders almost touched, but not quite. Steve breathed in the familiar scent of Bucky: soap and metal. His hand twitched as if to reach out for him, but Steve remembered the electric shock he’d be in for. He unconsciously shifted away instead.

Steve rested in the comfortable place between awake and asleep as they waited. He watched through the slits of his eyes as Loki stiffly arrived followed closely behind by Amora. Both Asgardians looked pale and tired; dark half-moons stood out under their eyes.

An angry looking Director Fury stormed through the doors nearly knocking Loki over. Steve scrambled to his feet followed by Bucky. Fury glared at each of them in turn for a few interminable moments. Finally after an uncomfortable amount of angry scrutiny, Fury turned and stomped over to stand beside Coulson and Romanoff.

“Any of you want to tell me what the hell happened last night?” he finally snarled.

His inquiry was met by tense silence. When Steve looked at the others he found Bucky staring diligently at the floor, Loki looking as if he were about to pass out, and Amora trembling, her eyes darting around the room. He sighed, but didn’t make any move to speak up either.

Finally Amora’s spoke up, “You should have warned us,” she said softly.

Steve jerked his head around to stare at her in confusion. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

When Fury didn’t respond, Amora turned her gaze to Romanoff, “Does she know?”

Romanoff’s expression remained impassive, but Steve noted the flash of confusion in Coulson’s eyes.

“Is that why you didn’t send the Avengers?” Amora asked.

Fury was glaring, a vein in his forehead throbbing. His arms were crossed so tightly across his chest that Steve was concerned for his circulation. Still, Fury remained maddeningly silent.

“I saw Thor,” Loki finally broke the silence.

“What?” Coulson’s mouth snapped shut as if he hadn’t meant to let the question out.

“Except it wasn’t really Thor, was it?” Loki now joined Amora in staring at Fury.

“Well I got my ass kicked by some asshole who called himself the Taskmaster on the roof. Somebody gave me an order through the comms to go up there, and I got blindsided,” Steve added his story to the mix.

“I thought he was dead when we found him,” Bucky whispered, a haunted look passing through his eyes.

Loki cleared his throat and awkwardly added, “I would have died if it weren’t for the Winter Soldier. He managed to take down that _creature_ by himself.”

Steve shot a look at Bucky, but once again his friend seemed preoccupied with other thoughts.

Coulson turned his back to the foursome and whispered something to Fury and Romanoff. The three of them proceeded to leave the room, leaving the prisoners alone in the cavernous room.

“Amora, what did you see?” Steve finally asked.

Amora slowly met his gaze with her bewitching green eyes. “I saw… true evil.”


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate version of the scene in chapter 8 of The Renegades.

_Captain_

“What?” Bucky’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“I said, get him away from me,” turning to Amora he added, “Without using magic."

Amora and Bucky exchanged a look. Steve smirked to himself when he saw the familiar strategic glint appear in Bucky’s eyes. Slowly, the confident and cunning smile that he was used to seeing on Amora’s face emerged. Enchantress and Winter Soldier were ready to strike.

Steve watched attentively as the two seemed to hold a silent conference. He was pretty sure that was what was actually happening. Judging by the stunned look on Bucky’s face and Amora’s answering laugh. Even though he’d said no magic, he supposed it was only fair that they telepathically strategize in order to maintain the element of surprise. God, when had that become a normal sentence?

The familiar sensation of his senses sharpening to take in everything that happened around him brought a smile to Steve’s face. All of his concerns quickly faded away. His mind was filled with only relevant details to his current fight. He could feel adrenaline pumping into his veins, his body itching for a good skirmish.

Apparently finished with their mental conference, Bucky and Amora were now circling him and his prisoner with predatory looks in their eyes. They had transformed into Winter Soldier and Enchantress. And they were ready for battle, which was just what the Captain wanted.

Honestly, he was surprised that the Trickster hadn’t used his magic to escape from his confines. But he was thankful that the Asgardian was playing along. He was acutely aware of the steady beat of the other man’s heart, and each breath rang out clearly in the air. Every movement, no matter how minute registered in Steve’s mind as he watched his foes closing in.

Abruptly, Bucky and Amora struck. His back bent low, avoiding Bucky’s mean left hook. Loki sputtered at the abrupt change of angles, but Steve’s attention was focused elsewhere. Amora immediately followed Bucky’s attack with a well-placed strike of her own that connected with Steve’s back sending him off balance.

He didn’t stay down long though. Using Loki as a human (or not so human) shield, Steve maneuvered away from his attackers to more advantageous ground. Standing atop a pile of mats, Steve maintained his stronghold on Loki while watching like a hawk every movement Bucky and Amora made.

The two smiled at each other, and soon they were executing a complicated maneuver that sent Amora flying through the air. Distracted in his efforts to avoid Amora Steve lost track of Bucky. His heart sped up, anticipating trouble. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to truly battle. Bucky knew him well, and Steve was suddenly aware of a blade pressed against his throat.

Amora smiled smugly in front of him, “I believe we have won, Captain.”

Steve released Loki, who glared at anyone who looked in his direction, “That was utterly ridiculous. I do not appreciate being turned into a pawn.”

“Oh, relax,” Steve let an easy grin slide across his features.

Bucky slapped him on the back and Steve turned to meet his gaze. There was the usually sharpness that came with combat of any sort, but there was something else there, too. Gratefulness, Steve realized. His smile softened slightly and he returned the thump on the back congratulating his erstwhile partner in crime.

“Great job, guys,” Steve said earnestly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little introspection from Loki.

Things had not always been as they were now. Loki had once thought he would be a king. Instead, he now let the days while away from a prison cell. For so long ruling Asgard had been his sole desire and goal. It had been all that he had worked towards. Now that dream was as distant as the gleaming gold spires of Asgard.

  
He found himself reliving those last days endlessly when he was alone at night. Finally someone had given him a foolproof plan to achieve his birthright and ascend as a king. Certainly Midgard would not have been his first choice. However, the sniveling mortals that called this place home were ripe for ruling. They practically called to him to rule over them and their pathetic planet. After all, they were doing a terrible job of it. Wars, famines, decaying environment: they had been wasting their planet from day one.

  
Alas, his was not a dream to ever be realized. Thor and his ridiculous cronies had seen to that. Once again the golden son had prevailed against the shadow. He wondered how it was that Thor did not see what he did. Surely Thor was able to see the way the humans were destroying their own planet!

  
Loki had never truly had friends. His friends had come in the form of ancient tomes, which he devoured hungrily. He had enjoyed Frigga’s company. In fact, he had always been most comfortable in her company

  
Now on Midgard Thor had once again found a group of warriors in the Avengers, but Loki also found himself a member of a team. He supposed they could be called warriors. Though they weren’t really in the traditional sense; they were more accurately a team of renegades.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set during the car ride to the church.

_Trickster_

The alarms were still blaring urgently all around. Red lights flashed throughout the corridors casting a glow of imminent danger. His pulse pounded in his ears. He ran down the dim hallway, not entirely sure where he was headed.

  
Hands shot out of a door and yanked his body inside. He whipped around to see Amora looking at him with her wide green eyes. Her blonde hair was a mess around her head. She looked wild, and Loki could not pull his eyes away from her.

  
Apparently the feeling was mutual. Although now that he studied her expression he picked up on the thread of terror there. It almost looked like she was scared of him. But that made little sense considering what a powerful sorceress Amora was.

  
He followed her gaze with his own eyes and looked at his exposed forearm. Despite the darkness of the small room they were in he could still make out the anomaly. His skin was blue. Raised ridges in a seemingly random pattern adorned his now blue flesh.

  
He lifted his head to look at Amora, but then something caught his eye. A reflection in glass; crimson eyes stared back at him. Even through the horror that he felt, Loki could not tear his eyes from the monster being reflected to him.

  
When he finally locked eyes with Amora again, she held a dagger poised to stab through his heart. He could have fought her, but why bother? They could both see the truth of the matter; he was an unholy abomination.

  
“You’re a monster!” she whispered fiercely. The blade arced toward his chest.

 

* * *

  
Loki jerked roughly out of the dream. His heart was pounding, and his mind was spinning wildly. He looked at his skin in panic, but it was the same pale flesh he’d known. It had been a dream. But it was difficult to chase away that expression of disgust. That much was real. Loki was horrified to feel a pang of hurt in his chest. Stupid! He was a monster; there was no way around it. She was right to be horrified by the sight of his true self.

  
When he looked up he locked eyes with Amora. She gave him a strange look, as if she knew exactly what he had been dreaming. He swept his gaze away from her quickly only to land on the Captain and his sidekick.

  
The two of them were both fast asleep, leaning on each other. They did not look peaceful, though. Loki could see Captain’s lips moving faintly. The Winter Soldier was twitching and his expression was one of pure agony. It was actually somewhat painful to watch, so Loki looked away. He gazed out the window next to his seat into the dark night sky.   
They were a terrible team. The Captain was probably correct; SHIELD was most likely trying to get them all killed. At least this way they had a chance to dispose of two issues at once. Or, he supposed, four issues in addition to the unknown number of adversaries they faced. Either way, it seemed that there was only one possible outcome in the situation.

  
Loki leaned back and closed his eyes. Perhaps he could yet evade his fate. Death would soon find them all. He may still make his greatest escape; one last trick. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate introduction to the Avengers taking place during the church mission.

_Enchantress_

“Amora?”

  
As if reading her thoughts, a voice whispered her name. She turned to see the man with the metal arm and wounded eyes. He was slowly making his way towards her through the pews. Amora waited patiently for him to reach her.

  
“Soldier,” she said by way of greeting.

  
He nodded, but his eyes barely paused on her. They were busy carefully scanning their surroundings. He may only be human, but he was a good soldier from what she had observed of him. When he and the Captain were together they were very formidable, indeed. She wondered, not for the first time, what had happened to the two mortal men.  
“Have you seen Steve?” Bucky broke through Amora’s thoughts.

  
“No. You are the first person I have come across in some time,” Amora replied.

  
A rattling sound at the large double doors where they had entered earlier caught Amora and Bucky’s attention. They stared as the massive wood doors shook. It looked as if someone was trying to get in, but they hadn’t locked the doors.

  
Bucky and Amora exchanged a look of confusion. Amora could see the moment that he shifted to Winter Soldier. It was mesmerizing and horrifying at the same time. His eyes lost all trace of humanity; he looked like a predator, and Amora was glad she was not his prey.

  
“Finally!” a voice rang through the sanctuary as the doors heaved open.

  
Bucky yanked Amora down so that they were hidden behind a pew. They watched as several figures poured in through the doorway. Once what appeared to be the entire group was inside, the doors slammed heavily behind them.

  
“Well, that’s creepy,” the man who had spoken earlier turned to regard the doors for a moment.

  
Amora counted six silhouettes. Only one appeared to be female. Suddenly Bucky went flying, his body cracking through the wood of the pew behind them.

  
“Well, what have we-” the annoying voice cut off, “What the hell?”

  
Bucky slowly pushed himself out of the wreckage of the bench. Anyone who didn’t know him might assume he was in pain, but Amora saw the calculated nature of his deliberately slow movements. The predator was mad now.

  
A full sized man suddenly appeared out of nowhere next to Amora hauling her up by the arm roughly.

  
“Get your hands off of me, mortal!” irritation laced Amora’s words as she zapped the man’s fingers.

  
He yelped and pulled them away. His helmet opened and a fairly plain looking mortal man stared at her incredulously.

  
Amora drew up to her full height. She pulled at her magical energy, letting her eyes flash at the rude stranger.

  
“Guys, this one has some magic thingy going on!” he called to his companions.

  
Amora followed his gaze to look at the intruders. Winter Soldier pulled up beside her; she knew that together they made an intimidating pair. With his inhuman gaze and discordant metal limb and her flashing powers and unearthly beauty they were ready to take on their challengers.

  
A slow smile stretched her mouth as she recognized a familiar face, “Agent Barton,” she purred, “How lovely to see you again. It has been too long.”

  
Agent Barton stuttered something incomprehensible, and Amora watched as his teammates turned incredulous stares in his direction. All except for one pretty redhead.

  
“And Agent Romanoff! What a delightful surprise, but I am afraid we are rather engaged right now,” Amora said.

  
She could practically feel Bucky’s stare boring into the group she now recognized as the Avengers.

  
A figure stepped around the others. He had previously been well-shadowed, but Amora’s bravado faltered when she realized who it was.

  
“Amora?” Thor asked.

  
“Thor, my prince!” she feigned enthusiasm, coloring it with her usual flirtatiousness. Inside, though, her heart and stomach twisted.

  
“What is this?” the man who had been speaking non-stop earlier stepped forward and turned to face his colleagues, “Do any of you care to explain this? Who is this woman, and how do you three know her? Also, correct me if I’m wrong, which I’m not, but isn’t that the Winter Soldier guy we arrested a couple months ago?”

  
“Tony, why did you bring us here?” Agent Romanoff asked calmly.

  
“I-No, I don’t think so! I want some answers first!”

  
“Tell us why you brought us here. We shouldn’t be here,” Natasha responded evenly.

  
“Fine! I’ve been tracking Wanda’s energy signature, looking for it to pop up. Today it started going crazy up here. So that’s why I brought us here,” Tony crossed his arms.

  
Amora could sense the tenseness in the man standing next to her, and decided it was time to get out of the path of the Avengers. “As much as I would love to stay and chat, I am afraid that my associate and I have pressing matters to attend to.” In a flash of light they left behind a group of tense, confused Avengers.

* * *

_Winter Soldier_

The Enchantress had teleported them to another part of the church. He blinked as his eyes took a second to adjust to the even darker space they were now occupying. A quick assessment and the Soldier determined they were in the basement of the building.

  
Amora had a strange look on her face, and the Soldier followed her gaze curiously. The Trickster stood a short distance in front of them face-to-face with an unfamiliar female. When the Soldier looked closer at the female, he determined it must be the Scarlet Witch they had come to find. Not only was she dressed in mostly red, but her hands were surrounded by unnatural red light that seemed to pulse to an unheard beat.

  
A small scuff as Amora took a step, and glowing emerald and scarlet eyes turned to where the Soldier and Enchantress were standing. He was frozen. Even though his instincts were screaming at him to move, he couldn’t force his muscles to cooperate.

  
In a split second the woman with the red eyes sent a burst of the strange red light straight towards him and Amora. Instinctively, the Soldier stepped to protect his partner. The light struck him hard in the chest, and then it was black.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate chapter 14 scenes... Some bits and pieces of this actually went into the official story, but I just left it as I had it in my deleted scenes doc because I'm lazy:)

_Trickster_

  
The look in the blond man’s eyes was almost unbearable. He looked so utterly destroyed that it made Loki uncomfortable. It was disconcerting to see the Captain, who had proven to be a strong fighter, showing such blatant and unabashed emotion. Apparently Loki had underestimated the bond between the two mortals.

  
The blond man ran his palm roughly over his face, staring at the floor in anguish. Loki could see the thoughts flashing through his blue eyes. Whatever he was feeling, Loki was struggling to understand it.

  
“Goddammit!” the Captain suddenly exploded.

  
“We will recover him, Captain,” Loki said.

  
He was unprepared for the vitriol in the Captain’s eyes when he spun towards Loki’s voice. It seemed as if he briefly wrestled over what words to say, and Loki saw him suppress his first choice.

  
“Yeah? And just how the hell are we gonna do that?” his eyes blazed as he stared at Loki.

  
No response came to him as Loki met the violent scrutiny. He looked to Amora, hoping she would have some way to diffuse the situation. Amora simply looked at the Captain with her mouth slightly agape.

  
A mirthless laugh seeped from the blond man’s mouth, “Do you even know what it’s like to care about someone? Someone other than yourself, I mean. Do you have any idea what it feels like when you care more about that person than you do about yourself?” he huffed out a breath, “Call me crazy, but I don’t think you have a goddamn clue.”

  
Loki was quiet for a moment before responding, “Contrary to what most would believe, Captain, I do know what you speak of. I have felt as you do, but I have chosen to harden my heart against those weaknesses. They never served me well,” his eyes briefly met Amora’s before he turned away.

 

* * *

  
Returned to SHIELD’s familiar prison walls, Loki was in a bitter mood. He had been purposefully difficult the entire journey. He was tired of putting up with the bumbling SHIELD guards and the whole prison experience. It was all beginning to feel unbearably claustrophobic. Being surrounded by such mundanity day in and day out was causing him to feel restless beyond anything he’d ever experienced before.

  
The return drive had been tense, the air fouled with unspoken words and thinly veiled animosity. Amora had been silent the entire ride. Of course, the Captain had not said anything, either. At least, not out loud; his looks spoke a different language.

  
He was disappointed by her recent behavior. She was not the bold Enchantress that he had brought to Midgard with him years ago. Her demeanor was much more contemplative and disconcertingly reserved. However, there had been that scene in the humans’ temple. For a moment the old Enchantress had risen like a phoenix, burning brightly against the ashes.

  
He now found himself seated in the conference room they had met in not even a full day earlier. Amora and the Captain were seated at the table, lost in their own worlds. It seemed that they were waiting on Fury and Coulson. As if in answer to his thoughts, the two men strode into the room.

  
The son of Coul seemed as placid as ever, but Fury looked disturbingly calm. It was unnerving; anger was a much more suitable look for him. Both men made their way to their usual spots at the head of the conference table. This time, however, Fury took the seat at the head of the table with Coulson sitting at his right hand. Normally the two mortals stood throughout their meetings.

  
There was an unbalanced feel to the room, a strange sort of tension. It felt as if the slightest movement would ignite the inevitable inferno that the air felt pregnant with. Loki waited rigidly for the unavoidable break.

  
Silence continued, and Loki surveyed the room. The Captain held his attention. Although he hadn’t previously noticed it, he was now able to see the man more clearly in the bright lighting of the room. His skin was paler than normal; he actually looked rather ill. Against the table, Loki noticed, that the mortal’s hands were trembling seemingly beyond his control. Once again, he found himself nonplussed by the mortal’s reactions to earlier events. Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to ignore his emotions, whatever they might be, in favor of strategizing with his warrior’s mind?

  
Coulson cleared his throat, which seemed to snap the Captain out of his trance. He turned his blue eyes in the direction of the two SHIELD agents. In contrast to the rest of him, the blond man’s eyes glinted like cold stone.

  
“It was a set-up. You sent us in there, and it was a trap,” the Captain said quietly.

  
Loki had heard that particular tone before; the carefully dictated words and purposefully even cadence betrayed the speaker’s true state. He had spoken in those cold tones many times himself. It was slightly unnerving to hear it coming from the usually flippant mortal man. But the obvious ache he felt was discernible in the undercurrents of his words.

  
“Events took an… unfortunate turn,” Coulson began.

  
“An _unfortunate turn_?” the Captain’s jaw was clenching and unclenching reflexively.

  
Tension crackled almost audibly in the air between them. To his credit, the SHIELD agent didn’t look away from the Captain’s unforgiving stare. Loki was reminded of the courage of this man whom he had fought so long ago.

  
“He is not wrong to question,” Loki spoke slowly, “I would certainly like to know why your _Avengers_ showed up at _our_ location.”

  
His challenge was met with closed off eyes from the two men at the head of the table. They didn’t even look to one another. Obviously they were attempting to tread very carefully. The situation was even more delicate than he had initially realized; their reactions gave that much away.

  
“The Avengers will be taken care of,” Fury said, “That is not your concern.”

  
Coulson continued to speak as if he’d never been interrupted, “Our agents on the ground have picked up chatter about the Red Army that Scarlet Witch referenced. Thanks to your work, we now know who the main players are in that organization. It seems that Red Skull is at the helm being assisted by Scarlet Witch and Taskmaster. We are still working on the Thor doppelganger that you saw a few weeks back.”

  
“What. About. Bucky,” the Captain’s voice was flat, but distinctly menacing.

  
Fury glared at the Captain, “Your _boyfriend_ has disappeared off our radar. Somehow they are concealing him from us.”

  
Loki noticed the way that Steve’s eyes bulged and throat contracted at Fury’s use of the word boyfriend. He wondered what that was all about; it seemed that there was more to the exchange than he could see on the surface. He wasn’t surprised to have his suspicions confirmed. The two soldiers had a bond stronger than any he had seen in many years.

  
“How did you-” the Captain seemed to stumble over his words.

  
“Did you really think we weren’t monitoring you?” Fury replied, “We can hear everything you say through the comms implanted in all of you.”

  
A choked sound escaped the Captain’s throat as he stared at the table. Loki felt the phantom echo of a feeling inside his chest, but it flitted away before he could examine it. He shook the strange sensation off.

  
“No one cares about you and the sergeant’s sexual orientations,” Coulson’s words were contradicted by a scoff from the Captain.

  
Loki studied the Captain’s lowered eyes. He was surprised by the turmoil he saw there. Inside his blue eyes the Captain’s internal war was revealed. Loki felt suddenly uncomfortable as he was hit by the powerful cocktail of emotions he saw within the other man’s eyes. He realized that this was one of those secrets that had been kept closest to the heart, hidden in the darkest places and deepest shadows. In that he recognized his own struggles, and he fought against the rapid resurgence of unwelcome feelings.

* * *

 

The training room felt oddly empty. The three of them reclined listlessly around the space. Even though only one of their number was absent, it seemed as if each of them had come back a little bit less somehow. A heavy silence filled the air, so many words hidden just beneath the surface. It was making his skin itch.

  
Their debriefing with Fury and Coulson had ended abruptly when the Captain had shut down, refusing to say another word. By some sense of loyalty he could not possibly explain, both Amora and the Captain had remained silent about his episode. He was grateful and incredibly relieved, which left him feeling vexed. There was nothing he hated more than feeling indebted to someone. Of course, it didn’t really matter because the Avengers would undoubtedly inform Fury of what they had witnessed.

  
What was really troubling him, was the change in the dynamics between himself and the two other remaining Renegades, as the Captain had dubbed them. Suddenly he found himself on uncertain footing. For some unfathomable reason Amora was not divulging the Frost Giant incident. He couldn’t possibly imagine why; SHIELD would likely eat that piece of information up like hungry dogs. Loki had already decided that the Captain was a much more complicated man than he had originally thought. He was unsure what the Captain’s motives were, but he believed that it had to do with his loyalties to his team over SHIELD.

  
When Loki glanced across the floor at Amora, she briefly caught his gaze before physically turning away from him. It hurt, even though he wished it did not. Even after all this time, that impossible woman still had a hold over him. He hated that she was so disgusted by his heritage. He had seen it in her eyes the first time she had witnessed his transformation, and he could see it again now in the aftermath of the previous evening’s events.

  
All those years ago, he had made a terrible decision. A miscalculation that had essentially cost him everything he had. At the time, when Amora had gotten her ill-advised revenge, he had been beyond furious. That rage had stuck with him for a long time. But somewhere along the way, he realized, he had let it go. Nothing really made sense to him anymore.

 

* * *

  
_Captain_

  
It had happened all at once, but it had been a long time coming. Deep down they had probably both known that this would be the inevitable outcome. He couldn’t actually recall when he had realized his true feelings for Bucky, but once he had there was no going back.

  
That was not to say it had been easy. On the contrary, it had been one of the most difficult things in his entire life. They had fought for their relationship, and they had fought hard. But now his worst fear was coming to fruition; Bucky was gone. He had always known that it was likely to end painfully. The life that they led just didn’t leave room for anything else.

  
Yet even though he had been preparing for it since the moment it began, it still hurt worse than anything he’d ever felt before. It was like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and the cavity left open while his lungs somehow continued to keep him alive. Every breath was agony.

  
When he closed his eyes he could still feel the cold metal fingers gripping his throat. He could still see the emptiness in the grey eyes. And it took him back to those awful days after they had escaped from Red Skull. It had taken a lot for him to bring Bucky back. The man had been feral; something fundamental had been ripped away from him. Secretly, Steve had always worried that Bucky hadn’t actually gotten that fundamental piece back, and now it seemed like he had been right.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another alternate church scene.

As his internal battle continued the sound of wood splintering rang through the space. It appeared that the doors had burst open from the inside. Before he had a chance to even process it, the intruders appeared. A familiar, and unwelcome, red and gold robot-like suit led the way. Steve rolled his eyes: _fucking fantastic_. This was just what they needed right now! Wasn’t Fury supposed to be in control of these guys, or Barton and Romanoff? Someone sure as hell should have kept them away from here!  
Iron Man had been joined by the man they called Falcon. A brief memory of those wings against the night sky flashed through his mind, but he pushed it away. He noted that Romanoff and Barton seemed to be missing from the group.

  
A sudden brutal impact sent Steve reeling backwards, his head striking hard against the stone floor. He blinked and suddenly a third man in a strange helmet and body suit stood over him: Ant Man, if he recalled correctly. Such a fucking stupid superhero name, if you asked him. Grunting, Steve tried to roll over. Behind him another rush of cold air could be felt.

  
The other Avengers turned their heads to look at the two engaged in a fierce battle towards the front of the sanctuary. Steve used their momentary inattention to spring to his feet. He had no weapons, and no partner, but he would do his best to give these assholes hell.

  
A bright flash of bluish light struck Loki in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He landed hard against the sanctuary doors through which he had entered. The wood of the doors splintered upon impact. Loki was down for a moment, but Steve watched the anger simmering just beneath his skin. Loki never did anything hastily, it seemed. Slowly, he pushed himself up and stalked forward.

  
“Miss, are you alright?” the Falcon was looking down at Amora.

  
“Hey!” Steve cried indignantly, “Keep your talons away from her, Bird Boy!”

  
Falcon turned briefly to regard Steve, but turned his attention back to Amora.

  
The familiar freight train like impact hit Steve, pushing him away from Amora. He felt the breath leave his lungs in one harsh exhale. This Ant-Man guy was really fucking annoying. How was he supposed to fight him if he never saw him coming?

  
A fierce growl came from the direction of Amora and Falcon. Steve smirked slightly in spite of himself at the answering masculine cry. The snapping electricity that filled the air surged through the room like an earthquake. Everything shook, and Steve was momentarily blinded. He could feel the sheer magnitude of raw power deep in his bones as it settled into the ground.

  
When he turned around, he saw only Amora and Loki. The three Avengers were gone. Amora stood like a goddess, a shimmer of gold lingering around her and a fierce look in her green eyes. Steve realized that Amora had just sent the men away somehow. He didn’t pretend to understand magic, but he hoped she hadn’t just brutally murdered them. That would be kinda hard to explain. Fury probably wouldn’t be impressed with the self-defense excuse.

  
Amora strode over to Loki. Her blonde hair shimmered behind her like spun threads of stardust. She looked briefly towards Steve, and he felt small and insignificant in her otherworldly eyes.

  
An expression that Steve had never seen before contorted Loki’s face into something almost unrecognizable. This was what he had pictured when he had heard about the maniac that had led an alien army against the Avengers in New York City. His emerald eyes shone in the dim light, and his body radiated authority. There was a disturbing coldness to him; he looked truly evil.

  
Amora turned her attention to Loki, and Steve watched the two powerful beings stare at one another. There was a definite similarity between them that Steve was only now seeing. It was like they were two halves of a matched set. Power rolled off of them, filling the air with its unique electricity. It was fascinating to see the charged current that flowed between them. Everything else seemed suspended.

  
He and Amora turned their heads towards one another, and one of those looks that Steve could never quite read passed between them. But even that was different this time. Both beings were changed. Now he finally saw the godliness of them. They were a king and queen, made to rule over beings like him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki dreams under the thrall of the Scarlet Witch.

_Trickster_

  
When he opened his teary eyes, he was no longer in the snow. Loki now found himself in a cell. He looked around wildly, quickly realizing it was not the SHIELD prison, but a cell in the palace of Asgard. Dread pooled in his stomach, solidifying into a boulder.

  
It was unlike most of the other cells. His was a dark and damp hole in the wall; completely unnecessary bars outside of the magic-resistant clear material lent a dungeon-like feel to the place. He himself was chained around the neck, wrists, and ankles. The shackles were made of some sort of magically glowing orange metal, and seared agonizingly against his heat-sensitive blue flesh. Worst of it all, though, were the wires protruding from his sealed lips.

  
“How far you have fallen, _brother_ ,” a deep voice said from the shadows outside his prison.

  
Thor materialized in a dim shaft of light, his golden hair brightening the heavy darkness. Loki’s eyes were drawn to Mjolnir, ever attached to Thor’s side. He gazed back up at Asgard’s golden son wearily.

  
Thor leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, “You always were inferior, but now you are exactly where you belong: in a cage like all animals.”

  
Loki winced, but even that slight movement drew a sharp pain and drops of warm liquid from his aching lips. Thor grinned and chuckled at the sight of Loki’s pain.

  
He turned to a figure behind him, “Shall we make our exit, now?”

  
Another figure stepped forward, and Loki’s entire body seemed to stop functioning. He felt hot and cold all over as the usually fond eyes surveyed him with disdain and not an ounce of sympathy. It was almost more than he could bear; a strange fuzzy feeling took over his head.

  
“I should like to have a moment alone with _it_ ,” the woman’s voice responded.

  
Thor nodded and began to leave, “I shall wait for you by the stairs, Mother.”

  
Frigga turned back towards the pathetic vision that was Loki and tutted disapprovingly. He stared plaintively back up at her, completely powerless to look away. The ache in his chest caused by her blatant disgust was nearly unbearable.

  
“I always hated you,” the venomous words burned Loki like acid, “You were a monster; you are a monster, and Odin never should have brought the likes of you into this palace. It was only to be expected that this is how you would end up, a depraved creature to be locked away.”

  
The jagged pain again caused blood to slip from his lips as he tried to speak to the mother he so loved. How could this be the same woman who had raised him so tenderly? Surely this was not the woman whom he had felt a kinship with, their magic bonding them in a unique way. But the pang in his chest and the sting behind his eyes told him what he already knew. No one could ever love a monster like him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has a dream while he is in full Winter Soldier mode.

A blond teenager smiled sheepishly at the Soldier. They were in a small room. Light spilled in through the lone window, casting rays onto the carpet and sheets of the bed that was pressed up against the wall. The setting briefly confused him; it seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

  
Instinct told him that the boy was not to be trusted. He was hiding something; he reeked of lies. The Soldier remained still, watching the other figure from his perch on the bed. His combat boots contrasted strangely with the worn cream carpet beneath them.

  
“Look, it’s nothing, Buck. Can we just drop it, please?” the boy broke the silence, his voice tinged with distress.

  
Although he did not consciously make the decision, the Soldier found himself replying. “You are lying. I can smell it all over you.”

  
The boy’s eyes widened and he barked out a strange noise that was probably supposed to be an easy-going chuckle. It didn’t translate.

  
“I-” the boy stuttered, but he didn’t seem to know what to say.

  
The Soldier waited with his arms crossed. He was a patient man. Hours spent staking out a target through the scope of his rifle had trained him well. This kid wasn’t going to outlast him. He could literally do this all day long. But judging by the nervous sweat collecting at the blonde’s hairline and above his lip, he wouldn’t be waiting for too long.

  
Words suddenly began to spill from the kid’s mouth, “I just… I didn’t want it to be like this. I’m gay. I’m gay and I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”

  
The look in the kid’s eyes was completely pathetic. An urge to roll his eyes struck the Soldier. Instead, he simply sat like a stone completely unmoved by the boy’s words. What a pathetic kid. It was obvious to the Soldier that this kid was weak. He really had no idea why he was in this room with this timid boy.

  
“Pathetic,” his own voice was deep when he spoke.

  
The boy flushed, tears instantly spilling down his cheeks. But he remained silent, and he didn’t break eye contact. Instead, he stood with his spine unnaturally straight while he stared at the Soldier with tears trailing down his face.

  
Finally he felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his legs and he stood up. While he was approximately the same height as the teenager, he could still see the cowed look in the boy’s eyes at his presence. Cold and calculated the Soldier reached out. There was something beautiful about the metal of his hand curling around the pale flesh of the boy’s neck. Really he was doing this weakling a favor. The world didn’t need any more fragile cowards holding back the warriors who were meant to inherit this planet.   
When the Soldier woke, a slight smile rested on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deleted chapter.

_Enchantress_

Amora stood with her back to Loki as the dark creatures circled them slowly. Whatever these creatures were, there was very dark magic within them. She continued to fight to hold onto her own powers. Whenever one of the creatures touched her, and she assumed Loki, they seemed to be able to drain her powers. At least, that would explain the condition that she had found Loki in. He had been bloodied and breathing raggedly when she had come across him and the two dark creatures. It would seem that he had attempted hand-to-hand combat and had his powers very effectively drained. Amora remembered Loki telling a similar tale about his altercation with the Thor lookalike.

  
Doppelgangers of Agents Barton and Romanoff tracked their every breath through obsidian eyes. It seemed that once again they had fallen into a trap set for them by the Red Army. Amora was beginning to wonder whether SHIELD had been compromised. After all, for such a powerful agency they were certainly not vetting their intelligence very well. Although, she supposed, that they might just be less concerned where the Renegades were concerned. They could just send in the criminals, and if things went badly it would be no great loss.

  
That thought burned as it settled in her mind. With it came a renewed sense of determination. She narrowed her eyes at the red-haired woman in front of her. Flames suddenly erupted all around the false SHIELD agent. The dark-eyed creature screamed as the golden flames licked at her.

  
All of the commotion briefly distracted the man who had been staring down Loki. It gave the Enchantress the opportunity to push the Trickster out of the way. Wasting no time, she launched a powerful wave of energy at the obsidian eyed man. Although the man dodged it easily, Amora had prepared for that. Her attack continued from several different angles until the archer was backed into a corner with no escape.

  
Very deliberately Amora stalked forward towards the cornered monster. She could feel the woman coming up on her flank, but without even sparing her a glance Amora merely flicked her wrist, and the giant lighting fixture above them fell onto the angry agent. In his corner the woman’s companion looked at her blankly. She smiled at him, watching as lust shifted the features of his face.

  
He began to lurch towards her unsteadily. She waited patiently, but just as he drew near, a long stick of some sort was rammed through his body. Blood immediately gathered around the entry wound. He looked down, momentarily stunned by his unexpected impaling. When he glanced back up, blood was dripping from his mouth.

  
Amora didn’t even glance to her side until the doppelganger crumpled to the ground. Loki stood next to her, clutching his side where the false archer had sunk in an arrow earlier. He looked at her and for a moment neither of them moved. She smirked at him, silently acknowledging his actions.

  
Loki looked as if he wanted to smile back at her, but he was breathing harder than before. Amora reached out to steady her fellow sorcerer before he fell. She let her hand hover over his torso, a soft golden light emitting from her. The wound quickly began to disappear. She then, healed the rest of his minor injuries. When she was finished, he smiled softly at her. For a moment it was just the two of them. But then a thought flitted through her mind that she couldn’t ignore.

  
“Where is the Captain?” Amora asked, furrowing her brow.

  
Loki looked around the room, as if the Captain were just standing on the sidelines waiting for them. But there was no one there. His eyes returned to Amora’s, an uneasy expression darkening the bright green irises.

* * *

 

_Trickster_

  
Loki cursed under his breath. It seemed that the monsters they were fighting fed off of his magic. He glared angrily at the Thor-like creature in front of him. He did not fondly recall their last meeting; he remembered the way his powers had slowly sapped out of him at the monster’s touch.

  
Behind him he could hear Amora fighting fiercely against several more of the false Avengers. This time they were on the city streets, in a seedy neighborhood. Apparently, someone from SHIELD had reported the Winter Soldier being at this location. And perhaps he was, but if so he was not alone. Upon first glance it had appeared that the Avengers were already on the scene. However, that was not the case. Instead, the soldiers of the Red Army stood with fathomless black eyes.

  
They had been fighting hard ever since. At some point the Captain, _Steven_ , had darted inside one of the surrounding dilapidated buildings yelling over their comms about having spotted the Winter Soldier. So their supposed _leader_ had essentially left them in the lurch with a small army of Avengers doppelgangers.

  
Suddenly, Loki became aware of a familiar commotion overhead. Lightning streaked, dark clouds swirled, and then thunder boomed drowning out all sounds from the battle. Loki pressed his eyes shut for a moment. He should have known that things would get worse.

  
A large red-caped figure dropped from the sky, smashing his hammer into the already cracked asphalt at his feet. The earth around them shook and reverberated with the impact. Loki found himself on his ass, staring angrily at his ' _brother'_.

  
“ _Loki_?” Thor looked as if he had seen a ghost.

  
Loki couldn’t help the sneer that curled his lip, he really couldn’t.

  
“Brother! What are you doing here?” Thor seemed absolutely flabbergasted.

  
“I am _not_ your brother, Thor,” Loki replied, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet.

  
Thor simply blinked at Loki, seemingly lost for words.

  
A resounding metal clang tore Loki’s attention away from the reunion. Above them, the true Man of Iron had arrived on the scene. And it seemed that he had gone straight for his double. Loki watched as the two Iron Men fought each other. It was rather amusing, actually. He would love to know what Anthony Stark thought about having an evil twin.

  
“Who the fuck do you think you are, dude?” the real Iron Man’s voice carried through the night air bringing a slight smirk to Loki’s lips.”

  
“I am a soldier of the Red Army,” the false Avenger replied.

  
“ _What_? The hell is that supposed to mean? You Russian? Did Putin send you? Are we at war with Russia? Why didn’t anyone tell me we were at war with goddamn Russia?” Tony ranted.

  
Loki was unable to listen any further as he was suddenly ambushed from behind. He grunted as his face collided with the street. Pain radiated through his body even as he felt himself once again being raised into the air.

  
“Puny god!” the green giant declared as he smashed Loki into the ground, creating a crater.

  
Just as Hulk was about to swing Loki around again, a blast of gold energy hit the giant’s face. He let out an anguished roar, which Loki felt rattle his bones. Another blast hit his eyes, and Hulk dropped Loki, grabbing at his eyes with his massive hands. Thankfully, Loki landed in soft gold as he didn’t have time to do anything himself.

  
Amora was glaring at the colossal green man with not a trace of fear in her eyes. Gold swirled around her palms, and Loki could feel the power radiated from her. She looked truly fearsome and so beautiful.

  
“Lady Amora?” Thor’s voice once again broke through Loki’s thoughts.

  
A look of shock crossed Amora’s features, and the gold light around her hands dissipated. She stared at the large blond Asgardian with wide green eyes. For once, she seemed to be absolutely speechless. Loki felt his chest constricting painfully, but he pushed it off as an effect of the Hulk’s beating.

  
“You all can have your reunion later,” Agent Barton backed into the center of their group, bow drawn taut. “Right now we have more important things to deal with. For example, there’s a group of evil black-eyeballed creatures that look just like us that we need to stop.”

  
Loki paused to gather his bearings and looked at the tableau spread out around them. Agent Romanoff was now standing in front of the Hulk whispering something to him. To his surprise, it seemed that Hulk was listening to the petite mortal. The two Men of Iron were still shooting beams of blue light at one another in the sky above them. A man with wings fought against his double. There was also a strange man that kept growing and shrinking as he vaulted through the battle.

  
The Trickster turned towards Amora, and together they launched themselves back into the fray, surrounding the false Agent Romanoff.

* * *

  
Things were going their way until they weren’t. Not only were the Avengers fighting their doppelgangers, but they seemed determined to fight Amora and Loki, as well. Agents Romanoff and Barton kept trying to steer their fellow Avengers away from the sorcerers, but it wasn’t working. Confusion was running rampant through the superheroes, and it was causing the battle to go south.

  
As Loki dodged the Hulk’s enormous hands, Amora and Stark were in a stalemate gold and blue meeting midair. For all intents and purposes, things had taken a turn for the disastrous. Barton and Romanoff were busy fighting off their doppelgangers, so they were unable to redirect the Avengers’ attention.

  
Loki slowly became aware of a loud, repetitive noise above his head. When he looked up he was met by the sight of a giant flying contraption of some sort. If it weren’t for the SHIELD logo on the bottom of the aircraft, Loki would have thought that their ultimate doom was flying in. Thankfully, it seemed that reinforcements had arrived.

The doppelgangers were suddenly fleeing the scene, and the heroes as well as Loki and Amora stood unsurely. Slowly, the aircraft’s cargo hold door lowered. And Loki was once again dumbfounded. He had seen plenty of cars by now on Midgard as well as what was known as airplanes, but he had not yet seen a _flying car_.

  
The candy red vehicle dropped down on the ground. Coulson sat at the wheel accompanied by a tall and angry looking younger man.

  
“ _Coulson_?” Tony Stark exclaimed.

  
“Yes, Mr. Stark. I’ve come to collect some important SHIELD assets,” he turned to Agent Romanoff, “So if you could kindly get the Hulk to stop attacking Loki, Agent,” he prompted.

  
Romanoff immediately complied, much to the shock of the rest of the Avengers. Barton was the only one whose face remained impassive. Coulson gestured to the archer next, “Barton, where is the Captain?”

  
This question seemed to stump the SHIELD agent, and Coulson sighed, “Agent Ward, please go with Agent Barton to recover the Captain. Track his GPS signal,” he instructed.

  
Loki watched the two men hurry off towards the building he had seen the Captain disappear into earlier. The tall one Loki assumed must be Agent Ward held something in his hand that he and Barton seemed to consult for direction.

  
Coulson slowly turned to survey the remaining group before settling his eyes on Loki and Amora, “Loki, Amora,” he nodded towards the car that had been airborne not even two minutes ago.

  
Obediently, the two of them strode towards the indicated red vehicle. “Don’t touch Lola,” Coulson looked sharply at them as they neared the car.

  
Loki turned to Amora, furrowing his brow in confusion. Amora raised one elegant eyebrow and nodded towards the car. Understanding dawning, Loki couldn’t help the snicker that slipped out. A smirk curled Amora’s own lips as they shared a look.

  
“Um, excuse me,” Tony Stark was once again speaking, “Is anyone gonna explain just what the hell is going on here? I mean, there’re two _dead_ guys standing in front of me right now.”

  
“The Man of Iron asks a most valid question,” Thor nodded his eyes trained on Loki, “I was told that my brother had perished.” Loki wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but he thought that Thor’s voice caught slightly on the last word.

  
Coulson let out another burdened sigh, “You did not have the clearance to know that information.”

  
“ _What_!” Tony seemed to struggle for words. He spluttered indignantly before turning to Amora. Loki bristled at the accusatory glare Stark threw at Amora. “And who the hell is that?”

  
Loki instinctively stepped slightly in front of Amora, which apparently did not go unnoticed.

  
“Is she with _Reindeer Games_?” Stark looked as though he were about to burst some vital internal organ.

  
“Lady Amora is from Asgard. She is a powerful sorceress; perhaps the most powerful in all of the nine realms,” Thor said slowly.

  
“So what, it was bring your lady to jail day?” Tony scoffed.

  
Amora stared levelly at the Man of Iron, “I came here of my own free will, Mr. Stark.”

  
This seemed to shut Stark up. He simply gawped at the Enchantress. But, for once, he was blessedly silent.

  
“Lady Amora, what _are_ you doing on Midgard? We had thought you lost after my brother’s…fall,” Thor’s voice trailed off slightly at the last word.

  
Amora simply raised an eyebrow and lifted one of her shoulders slightly, “I saw no reason to apprise you of my whereabouts,” she said.

  
Thor blinked, looking slightly hurt. Loki felt jealously roil in his gut as he watched the air between Amora and Thor. Even through her affected coolness, Loki could feel the tension and distress in Amora’s body.

  
The uncomfortable questioning was interrupted as Agents Barton and Ward stumbled out of the building. Loki immediately saw the limp form in Agent Ward’s arms. Anxiety spiked through him at the sight: the Captain. Had he been killed? He could feel the same panic coming off of Amora.

  
“We found him like this,” Barton said to Coulson.

  
Coulson pursed his lips, “Put him in Lola. Let’s get him to medics ASAP.”

  
Agent Ward nodded and went to move towards the car, but Amora intercepted him. She reached out and touched the Captain’s sweat-drenched forehead. For a moment she stood with her eyes closed, and then she inhaled sharply. Quickly, she yanked her hand away from the human’s skin.

  
“The Winter Soldier,” she said simply, turning concerned eyes toward Loki.

* * *

 

_Captain_

  
“Steve?” the figure in the shadows rasped.

  
Steve froze in place, unsure what to do. His heart told him to run to the mostly obscured figure, but his gut was screaming to get the hell out of there. Who was he kidding, though? He knew exactly what he was going to do.

  
“Buck?” Steve asked.

  
“Steve,” relief flooded that one word, “Help me.”

  
His heart squeezed painfully and he was moving before he could think twice. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for Bucky. Hearing the weakness and vulnerability in those two words was all that it took. He was reaching out for Bucky, nearly touching him.

  
The swell of muscles under the dark clothing felt entirely familiar to him, and he felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It was so strong that he felt tears burning his eyes. God, it had only been a few days, but he had missed this _so much_.

  
Bucky stared into his eyes, his expression unreadable but darkly urgent. Steve felt himself leaning closer to the familiar face in front of him. Only a few inches separated their lips as Steve rested his forehead against Bucky’s. But Bucky seemed to have something else in mind. He tilted his head, and then they were kissing.

  
Suddenly he was on fire, his entire body protesting against the intense heat. He gasped brokenly, making strange noises as he struggled for air. It felt like his lungs were shriveling up inside of him, his head burned, everything _burned_. He was falling, an inhumanly strong grip grabbing onto his bicep just before he crashed.

  
And then there was yelling, and he really did crash to the ground. His body was no longer his own and he writhed around in agony. Things were happening around him, that much he was still aware of. But that was about it. He couldn’t focus on anything; the pain was just too great. It eclipsed everything around him. Until suddenly it was gone. Suddenly he was alone in an empty space, surrounded by soft white light. He sighed, his body finally relaxing. Now he could rest. He was safe here.

* * *

  
_Winter Soldier_

  
He sunk the tip of the blade into the blond man’s neck as soon as the man’s lips touched his own. The other man seemed to be lost in the kiss, but the Soldier barely felt anything at all. His mind was focused on his mission. Bring the blond human man to the General. They needed this man for the Red Army; he was too powerful as an enemy.

  
The Soldier waited until the man inhaled sharply against his lips before pulling back. He watched impassively as the man’s hands fluttered up to his throat and back down to his chest. It barely took any time at all before the man was stumbling around like a drunk. Gagging and choking sounds erupted from the man as he struggled fruitlessly against the poison. Finally he was falling. His instructions had been to not damage the man any more than absolutely necessary. Therefore, he reached out just before the man collided with the hard ground and gripped his bicep with his own metal hand.

  
The Soldier thought that the man was already unconscious, but for just a moment blue eyes flew open and bore into his own, “ _Bucky_ ,” the man whispered before falling limply.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative scenes from the final battle at SHIELD Pen.

_Enchantress_

She had no idea what machine they were looking for, but once again her companion was one step ahead of her. He was sorting through the various equiptment and machines, not very carefully. A steady stream of words, most of which Amora would bet were curses, came from the Man of Iron as he threw things around. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for.

  
Together, they managed to set Loki up on a cot. Amora watched as the Man of Iron went about hooking a machine up to Loki. She did not pretend to understand what was happening, but after tinkering with the machine it came to life. She still was not at all sure about this plan, but the poison in Loki’s veins was repellent to magic, so her options were severely limited.

Although they lost Thor and Steven along the way, they managed to successfully navigate their way to the prison’s infimary. The Man of Iron had used his blue energy to blast the door open. Once inside, Amora enchanted it so that no one would be able to enter; it would be easy enough to adjust the spell and allow Thor or Steven to come inside.

  
It hadn’t taken long for the Man of Iron to locate the correct machine and hook it up to Loki. So now, they were just left waiting and watching. Thus far there had been no sign of movement or improvement from Loki. She knew that this plan was a long-shot at best. After all, why should Midgardian technology be able to do what her and Loki’s magic could not? However, she found herself hoping fervently that by some miracle this machine would pull the poison from Loki’s veins.

  
”How long does this machine take to work, Man of Iron?” Amora asked, not taking her eyes off of Loki’s unconscious form.

  
”Honestly? I have no idea. Plus, you know, it wasn’t exactly built for removing magical poison from otherworldly beings. And it’s Tony,” he shrugged.

  
She nodded, ”Very well, Tony.”

* * *

 

  
_Captain_

  
Steve had been about to continue towards the infirmary when he heard the cry. He paused, casting a look over his shoulder. Although he couldn’t see anything his ears strained to hear any noises. He was rewarded with the sounds of fighting. Suddenly he found himself moving towards the fight and away from his goal of reaching the infirmary.

  
If anyone were to ask him what possessed him to act as he did, he wasn’t sure what he would tell them. His instincts had told him to move, and so he had. He had found, especially after the serum, that his instincts were almost never off-base.

  
He came up short to see the man who had helped him earlier lying on the ground. To his horror, Bucky stood over the man and fired two shots into his chest. Steve stood paralyzed, but he must have made a noise. Bucky turned sharply towards him, but instead of the fatal shots that Steve expected he simply glared hard before turning away.

  
When the retreating figure disappeared, Steve’s body suddenly came back online. He rushed forward towards the prone man on the floor. There wouldn’t be anything that he could do for him, but the man had saved Steve’s life.

  
Somewhere along the way, the man had acquired a helmet from a SHIELD agent. Steve hoped that whoever had donated the gear had already been dead when this guy found them. The man was definitely a prisoner, wearing the familiar jumpsuit. Idly Steve wondered what he had done as he felt against the man’s neck for a pulse.

  
”Nnngh!” the man shot up suddenly.

  
”Ahhh!” Steve yelled, scuttling bacckwards on his ass. ”What the fuck!”

  
The man turned to him, "Bullet wounds. Am I right?”

  
Steve gawped at the man, ”Who _are_ you?”

  
”Oh. We’ve never actually met have we? I mean, I know who you are: _the Captain_ ,” he made a ridiculous gesture arcing one of his arms in the air as he said Steve’s alias, ”If even one of the stories they tell about you is true well... From one badass motherfucker to another, nice to meet you,” The man extended a hand, which Steve noted was sheathed in a SHIELD issue glove.

  
Cautiously, he accepted the handshake, ”Uh, nice to meet you, too?”

  
”Yeah, you’re right,” the man stood up and offered Steve a hand. ”It’s probably not all that nice to meet me.”

  
Steve stared at the stranger, who still hadn’t given him a name. He felt off-balance, unsure how to react to to the guy. It bothered him slightly that the man knew who he was, or at least his other name, because he had absolutely no clue who he was speaking with. Had they met before? Usually, after the serum, Steve never forgot a name. And honestly, he didn’t think anyone who encountered this man forgot their encounter.

  
He realized that the man was talking again; he wasn’t actually sure he’d ever stopped. ”Your partner’s gone a little bit off the rez, huh?”

  
Steve paled slightly before realizing that the man didn’t mean it that way. ”What do you mean?” he hedged.

  
”Well, you know. I just took two bullets to the chest, which hurts like a bitch BTW. But I digress,” the man made another gesture as if he were wiping away the bullet wounds that had just been craters in his chest. ”Anyway, I’m pretty sure that was your amigo the infamous Winter Soldier. And between you and me, buddy, it didn’t look like there was anybody home, if you know what I mean.” Steve was somehow certain that underneath the mask, the man winked with his last statement.

  
”Uh,” Steve realized he didn’t actually know how to respond to that. Especially considering the wink that he was positive had been included. Winks always threw him off.

  
”It’s been real, Cap-eroo, but duty calls! And by duty I mean the nearest Mexican joint where a guy can find a chimichanga.” With an incredibly messy salute, the man was gone.

  
Steve was left reeling. He wasn’t even sure what had just happened. It took him a moment to recall why he had come this way in the first place. Bucky. Somewhere ahead of him, Bucky was waiting.

* * *

_Trickster_

  
”Yowza!” Stark’s voice startled Loki from his thoughts. ”That’s a mean looking stab wound you got there,” Stark pulled a face.  
Loki rolled his eyes, ”Amora?”

  
Amora nodded, knowing what Loki was asking. She dropped her palms over the open gash, and he felt the familiar tingling warmth spreading through him. There was the uncomfortable and yet extremely satisfying sensation of his body repairing the damage and pulling back together. It took Amora less than a minute to close and heal the wound. Loki wanted to feel better, but he could not ignore the nausea he felt every time he thought about his absent powers.

  
”We better keep moving,” Stark said, taking the lead of their group.

  
Amora looked to Loki, silently asking if he was okay. He inhaled deeply, burying his troubled thoughts deep, before nodding curtly at her. There was a flicker in her green eyes, but she turned away and followed Stark from the room. Loki sighed and trailed along behind them. Though his pain was gone, he felt strangely unbalanced, like a newborn foal trying to gain its bearings. Hopefully it would not be too obvious to his companions.

* * *

_Winter Soldier_

  
The Soldier moved purposefully through the shadowy underground facility. It seemed that most who had been in the subterranean level had either escaped or been eliminated. He, personally, had dispatched a handful of targets on this latest sweep. The General would be pleased.

  
The scent of a recently fired gun circled around him. He had just eliminated another target; this one appeared to be a prisoner though he was wearing some SHIELD gear. It didn’t really matter; he had his orders: shoot to kill.

  
He was about to continue his circuit when he heard a sound down the hall. A broad blond man stood staring wide-eyed at the Soldier. This was the man the General was looking for. They were not to harm him. They were, however, supposed to capture the man. But this was not right. No, he would wait.

* * *

  
The Soldier made his way towards the roof as per his orders. This was to be the spot where he was to meet the Captain in battle. Before they had launched the attack, the General had explained to him his role.

  
Earlier had not gone according to plan. He had been instructed to use the knife on both of the green-eyed magicians. Unfortunately, the Captain had interferred before the Soldier had been able to achieve his goal. With orders not to harm the Captain unnecessarily, the Soldier had been unable to strike the woman.

  
A spike of irritation caused a muscle in his jaw to twitch. He quickly quelled it; emotions had no place in battle. The Soldier needed to keep a clear head. This, here on the roof, was where he was to secure the General’s prize. He would be successful; nothing, especially not the _Captain_ , would screw this up.

* * *

  
_Captain_

  
Steve squinted as he emerged from underground. The sun was low in the sky, but it was still a dramatic change from the darkness below. It took him a couple of seconds to adjust before he could take in the scene around him. He realized that he was on the roof. And there was someone waiting for him.

* * *

  
Steve never wanted to fight Bucky. He walked slowly forward, not sure what he was going to do. If he didn’t fight Bucky then he would either die or be taken prisoner. But if he did fight Bucky... Would he let it end before Steve killed him?

  
He stopped a few feet from the stranger he knew better than anyone else on Earth. This was it. Wherever they went from here things would change. With that thought, Steve knew what he would have to do. It was time for Bucky to come home.

* * *

  
_Enchantress_

  
They reached the roof just in time to see Steven and the Winter Soldier lunge for each other in perfect synchronization. Their movements were like a violent dance that they appeared to have memorized. Steven and the Winter Solider were well-matched even in a fight, it seemed. Ever the perfect partners for one another.

  
She did not intend to simply stand aside and watch. There were still enemies afoot, but it was a mesmerizing sight. Effortlessly, they circled around each other, their bodies bending and twisting while fists flew. Grunts of pain when one found its target, and dark growls as they stalked around one another were the music that they danced to. It was beautiful despite its brutality.

  
She nearly forgot that Loki was with her; Tony had departed to rendezvous with his fellow Avengers. A noise behind her drew her attention, though, reminding her that she had not come up here alone. When she turned, Loki was on the ground.

  
A dark haired woman with glowing red irises smirked at her. The expression was a clear invitation to fight, and Amora was fully prepared to accept. She had had enough of this wretched mortal who seemed to think herself on the same level as Loki and Amora. In reality, her sorcery was not of the same ilk as Amora and Loki’s. A comparison between them was unfair.

  
Still, she summoned the familiar rush of power through her arms until gold glowed around her hands. A rush of satisfaction filled her when the Scarlet Witch took a step back wearing a look of confusion. Amora’s suspicions that she was supposed to be powerless, same as Loki, were confirmed.  
  
  


 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate ending for Enchantress and Winter Soldier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out The Renegades deleted scenes! I hope you enjoyed!

_Enchantress_

  
Time continued to pass. She sat in the small apartment, staring at the sunset but not actually seeing it. It was just another of many Midgardian sunsets. Any beauty they possessed was lost on her. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a key in the lock.

  
No words of greeting were exchanged. They had no need for such things. There was no reason to pretend that things were something they never would be. The sound of footsteps faded away as their owner moved deeper within the apartment.

  
Amora sighed, and ran her index finger along the rim of the wine glass she had placed beside her. It was empty again. She sighed as she turned away from the window. As if every step were a chore she made her way to the kitchen. The bottle was right where she had left it, sitting on the counter.

  
She took a deep gulp from it, but the liquid was not doing its job. It just needed a little boost. A shimmer of gold, and she took another draw. The liquid felt headier as it slid down her throat. Much better. This would do the job.

  
Her hands rested against the counter, and she couldn’t help herself. She looked down at her left hand, at the band around her fourth finger. It glittered cheerfully at her, and she felt irrationally angry. But the anger was quickly overtaken by a resigned and heavy sorrow. Nothing was as it should be.

  
She reached again for the bottle before sinking to the floor. Her eyes fell closed as silent tears slid down her cheeks. Tonight might require another bottle.

* * *

  
_Winter Soldier_

  
They were free now, but it didn’t feel like it. Maybe they were free of SHIELD and the prison, but they were shackled by their own failures and regrets. The apartment was always silent, but the silence was so heavy it bowed his shoulders as soon as he walked through the door.

  
She was on the couch, absently staring out the window like she often did. There was an empty glass on the floor beside her. He would have been surprised if there wasn’t. Soon, the glass would be ditched in favor of the bottle. Not that he blamed her. The bottle just wasn’t enough for him.

  
After everything, he had thought that Amora was going to be strong, was going to carry them through this. She had used her magic to get Stark to agree to removing the microchips inside their heads. The other Avengers remained unconscious under her spell until Stark finished his work. Looking back on it now, he was pretty sure that they had both hoped Tony Stark would fail, and they would mercifully be ended. Tony Stark did not fail; he didn’t even leave a scar.

  
Now they were left drifting through the city. They were fugitives, but neither one of them cared about that. If they ever did care, Amora could easily change their appearances. She had managed to charm them into myriad situations without exerting herself in the slightest. That was how they had this apartment now with the amazing view that neither of them appreciated.

  
The time that they spent together was filled with purpose. They went out, they found people, Amora would be the bait, and Bucky would be their worst nightmare. Still, after weeks, they hadn’t gotten any truly useful information. But they both needed it. Without this imposed sense of usefulness, they had nothing. When they weren’t out there chasing leads, they were in here silently stewing in their respective hells. That was all there was now.

  
But he had a new lead for them to follow tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow would bring them the purpose they craved so desperately. He sighed, lying down on his bed without even removing his jacket. Maybe tomorrow.


End file.
